About Me

Jaekyung Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Design and Planning at Hongik University and the directing faculty of the Geospatial Big Data Analytics (GBDA) Research Group. He also serves as a Founding Advisor to RAAP Incorporated (https://doraap.co.kr), the first Korean company accepted into the ESRI Startup Program. In this capacity, he has contributed to shaping the company’s early vision and strategies, particularly in advancing the automation of processes for land development and management through geospatial technologies. 

Dr. Lee’s research and teaching encompass the fields of deep learning–based spatial predictive modeling, geospatial data mining, and urban analytics. His scholarship integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial statistics, and artificial intelligence to address pressing urban and environmental challenges. His research interests include:

• Deep Learning–based Spatial Prediction: Development of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs/LSTMs), and graph neural networks (GNNs) for land-use change modeling, urban growth simulation, and environmental forecasting.

• Urban Shrinkage and Revitalization: Diagnostic assessment of socio-spatial dynamics in shrinking cities and formulation of evidence-based strategies for urban regeneration, resilience, and sustainable growth.

• Smart Cities and Spatial Big Data: Integrating multi-source geospatial datasets—including remote sensing imagery, IoT sensor networks, mobility traces, and social media—to optimize smart city services, infrastructure management, and participatory planning.

• Land Use and Environmental Planning: GIS- and AI-assisted analysis of land suitability, ecological networks, disaster risk management, and sustainable development policy evaluation.

His research has appeared in leading international journals, including Land Use Policy, Journal of the American Planning Association, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

At Hongik University, Dr. Lee has taught Analytic Methods in Planning, Urban Design Studio, Planning Theory, and project-based Smart City Capstone courses. His teaching emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, technical rigor, and the application of advanced analytical tools to real-world urban challenges.

Education

Ph.D. Urban & Regional Science, Texas A&M University

M.S. City & Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania (Concentration in Urban Design)

B.S. Urban Engineering, Hongik University